CasaSugar

Mischa Barton Lists Her Beverly Hills Mediterranean Manse

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 -0800

Mischa Barton's high-paid days as Marisa Cooper are long over, and unfortunately her career hasn't picked up as she expected it might when she left The O.C. after its third season. So the mortgage on the 7,600-square-foot, six-bedroom, 10-bath Beverly Hills home she scooped up in 2005 is one that I suspect she simply can't afford, and she's listed it on the market for $8.4 million. Seeing as she bought the property at the height of her fame for $6.4 million, she's set to make a pretty penny on this one if her asking price is met.

In a past interview about her home, Mischa said, "When I arrived in LA, I looked at 10 houses. This was the last one on the list. It was a little beyond my price expectations, but I immediately fell in love with it. It's almost as if I would be living in the country. There's no traffic, no loud cars, simply heavenly quiet."

The house boasts two detached guest suites, a lush courtyard, a large terrace, a pool, and beautiful Mediterranean architectural details. Barton's décor choices, are on the other hand, are less crave worthy. She's washed it with a peach and neutral palette, and outfitted it with gaudy, gold tables and ostentatious, swagged valances. I expected so much more from a fashionista like Mischa! Check out the photos and tell me what you think.

See dozens more photos when you read more.

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Rachel Ashwell Lists Her Shabby Chic Malibu Cottage

CasaSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 -0800

Purveyor of all things shabby chic, Rachel Ashwell has put her 1,783-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bath Malibu cottage home on the market for $4.4 million. Her beautifully remodeled home features limestone flooring, a brick patio with a spa, and mountain views. It's also surrounded by gorgeous gardens and just steps away from a shared beach access lot with a deck. The interiors, not surprisingly, are dressed in Ashwell's signature white shabby chic style, and look quite cozy and calm. You'd wonder why she'd want to sell this cute home, but I think the fact that her business filed for bankruptcy last year might have something to do with it. From the looks of it, Ashwell's already moved out; it seems pretty empty. But, she also owns another LA area property, so perhaps this was just her beach house. Would you like to live in this Malibu home? Take a look at the photos and tell me what you think!

Celebrities List Their Haciendas at a Loss

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:00:22 -0800

It's still a buyer's market in the real estate world these days, and average American homeowners aren't the only ones bearing the brunt of it. In the last week, two celebrities have listed their homes on the market expecting a loss. Scarlett Johansson's 4,352-square-foot, four-bedroom, 5.5-bath hacienda in Los Angeles, listed at just under $5 million, is the most painful one: she purchased the property only three years ago for $7 million. What's even worse about the $2 million loss (at least - it hasn't sold yet!) is that she spent a lot of dough restoring it. According to the listing, she made "massive system upgrades" including solar electric, as well as all new windows and doors. Ouch!

Meanwhile, Ashley Olsen's 2,332-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath hacienda in Los Angeles was just listed for $1.4 million. She also purchased her property back in 2007, paying nearly $1.6 million for it. Olsen's expected real estate loss tunes in at $200k, a far cry from Johansson's $2 million bloodbath. Maybe these pennies are small change for these ladies, but for most homeowners $200k (or even $2k!) can make a world of difference in a bank account.

James Franco Sells Sunset Strip Compound

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:00:38 -0800

Actor James Franco, whose latest role finds him portraying poet Allen Ginsberg in the movie Howl, has just sold his Sunset Strip home.

The house was listed in late September of 2009 for $3.7 million, and recently sold for $3.3 million. Franco originally purchased the house back in 2006 for $2.3 million, so, unlike some other stars, Franco managed to come out ahead on this transaction, although since the home required a major renovation, he may have sunk a lot of money into updates before it was sold.

The 4,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath Spanish-style villa was built in 1923. The home's beautiful open interior spaces and vaulted, beamed ceilings create an airy feel, and a master bedroom suite with city views features a bathroom with a 19th-century marble bathtub. Simply gorgeous. The property is walled and gated for maximum privacy, and also includes a pool and guest casita. Other coveted features include antique architectural details, which were installed during the renovation, and generous outdoor spaces, including lounge areas and an outdoor kitchen. The chef's kitchen, with its La Cornue stove in particular has drawn my eye. It's a beautiful design, and one that's perfectly suited for the home chef.

While the home has been staged to within an inch of its life (with animal hide rugs and sheepskins scattered copiously about each room), the house's handsome bones and beautiful indoor-outdoor California living floor plan speak for themselves. This is definitely a lovely house, and whomever snapped it up is lucky indeed.

Take the entire tour when you read more.

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Guess the Celebrities Featured in Architectural Digest!

CasaSugar — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:00:46 -0800

After seeing Jennifer Aniston on the cover of the March issue of Architectural Digest, I got to thinking about how many intriguing tours of celebrity homes the magazine has given us over the years. I still return to some of my favorites from 10 or 15 years ago; it's eye-opening to see how the other side lives. Are you an Architectural Digest reader? Let's see how well you remember some of the celeb homes they've featured.

Question 1 of 8

The actress and singer shown here reading in her home is one of the greatest stars of all time, but throughout it all she kept this modest, one-room apartment at the Beverly Carlton Hotel in Beverly Hills. “I’m not interested in money,” she once said. “I just want to be wonderful.” Do you know who she is?

Source

Glenn Close Lists Her Upper West Side Digs

CasaSugar — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:30:13 -0800

$11.8 million is a lot of money. A lot of money. If I had that kind of money, I would most definitely buy myself a beautiful spread, and hire a fancy decorator to fill it with killer décor. But apparently Glenn Close doesn't have the same priorities.

She's put her 2,000-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-and-one-half bath apartment on Central Park West on the market for a whopping $11.8 million, and from the looks of it - furnishings spare, underwhelming, and poorly arranged - decorating is not one of her priorities. But that's OK because the bones of the place are fabulous. It boasts a wood-burning fireplace, two expansive terraces with french doors overlooking Central Park and the Museum of Natural History, two studies, a guest room, hardwood floors, coffered ceilings, and custom Craftsman-style cabinetry. It's just waiting for some glamorous Manhattanite with big pockets to swoop it up. Know anyone?

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Kings of Leon's Jared Followill Swoops Up a Nashville Castle

CasaSugar — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:00:23 -0800

Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill has swooped himself up a proper castle in his home state of Tennessee for $1.8 million. The 7,411-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-and-two-half-bath home is brand spankin' new, located just south of downtown Nashville. Propped up on a hill, it should offer lots of privacy for the shaggy-haired pretty boy, not to mention those five bedrooms. It's got sort of a Craftsman-meets-Tudor-meets-Frank Lloyd Wright thing going on, which I don't quite adore from the exterior. But the inside does have beautiful bones, like rich hardwood floors, fancy stainless steel appliances, lots of stone, slate, marble - the works. It also has a massive wooden wine cellar, which I totally covet.

In April, Rolling Stone took a video tour of each of the Followills' homes, and back then Jared was living in a small fixer-upper '50s home. So this is definitely a step up in size and fanciness, but I wouldn't necessarily say newer is better. In full bachelor pad style, he had zebra-print sheets and some faux taxidermy in his bedroom, and a big flatscreen for his Playstation 3 habit. I'm sure he'll outfit his new digs with all those must-have rockstar elements, too. I've got 50 (!) photos of Jared's new digs for you to see, so read more.

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Top 10 Celebrity-Owned Hotels

CasaSugar — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:00:00 -0800

After listening to recommendations from editors and travelers, TripAdvisor recently named its list of the top 10 celebrity-owned hotels in the world. From mountain lodges and kitschy motels to luxurious resorts and beach-side escapes, a few famous faces have made a name for themselves in the world of travel - and I don't just mean by jet-setting. Check out these fabulous accommodations owned by celebs-turned-hoteliers!

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Megan Fox Transforms Her Address

CasaSugar — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:00:13 -0800

Tattooed Transformers starlet Megan Fox has swooped up a 5,200-square-foot, four-bedroom, five-bath home in LA's Los Feliz for the measly sum of $2.9 million.

Built in 1936, the Mediterranean-style house boasts restored original details, panoramic ocean and city views, custom hardwood floors, state-of-the-art security, and a pool with several terraces and lawn areas. The view alone would be enough to sell me, but it also has gorgeous features, including beautiful bones, white flat-fronted cabinetry, a Viking range, Carrara marble countertops in the bath and kitchen, and a free-standing tub. The pool area seems like an ideal place to entertain, too. Good work, Megan. Want to take the full tour?

Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen Increase Their Curb Appeal

CasaSugar — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:00:17 -0800

Actor couple Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have purchased an absolutely charming home in LA's Brentwood neighborhood for $3.11 million. The four-bedroom, three-and-one-half bath home has a great, wide, columned front porch met by a stone walkway and beautiful landscaping out front; it's a far cry from the sequestered, gated celebrity homes we often see. Inside, the home is very nicely decorated, with lots of color and comfortable furnishings; if I were them, I'd want to buy it as is! The bones of the house are wonderful, too, with plenty of built-in cabinetry, dozens of windows, and handsome hardwood floors, as well as updated appliances like a Viking stove. Take the full tour - trust me, you'll want to.